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Music is sound, so pleasing to hear Music is a boon even to a deaf ear Noise can deafen you 'n make your life a hell Beware! Don't cross� limits and put 'music' 'n 'yourself' in a cell. Physiology of the Ear and Hearing The ear has three areas: the outer (visible part of the ear), middle, and inner ear. A thin membrane, called the eardrum (tympanic membrane), divides the middle and outer ear. When we hear, sound vibrations, or sound waves, funnel through the outer ear and down the ear (auditory) canal, where the sounds hit the eardrum, and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are passed through the three small bones in the middle ear - the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrups). From the middle ear, the sound vibrations are transmitted to the inner ear (vestibule). Tiny hairs in the cochlea (a snail-shaped organ in the inner ear) transform the sound vibrations into nerve impulses. The impulses are transmitted to the brain through the auditory (cochlear) nerve. Noise and Hearing Loss Excessive exposure to loud noise can damage the tiny hairs in the cochlea and lead to hearing loss. Generally, this type of hearing loss is reversible (except is some cases of a sudden, very loud noise, such as an explosion). Noise-induced hearing loss can occur at any age. Noise-induced hearing loss is often a very preventable condition. Physicians recommend that people take steps to protect their ears against damaging high levels of noise. Temporary hearing loss can happen after you�ve been exposed to loud noise for only 15 minutes. If you have temporary hearing loss, you won�t be able to hear as well as you normally can; and you may have tinnitus, which is a fancy word for ringing in the ears. Your ears can also feel �full�. These things usually go away and your hearing soon returns to normal. Stereos and other types of amplification devices should be kept to a moderate level. People should be able to talk and be heard over the music. If people need to shout to be heard above the music, then the volume is too loud. For those who wear headphones (eg walkmans), the volume is also too loud if a person standing near a listener can hear the music coming through the headphones. Repeated exposure to loud noise can cause permanent damage and hearing loss. This condition is known as noise-induced hearing loss. As early as 1975, one researcher found that children on the train-track side of a New York public school were lagging a year behind their classmates on the other side of the building in learning to read. Numerous studies have been done about the effects of airport noise and families who live nearby and the same results have been found. The sound of toys can range up to 100 dB. Two hours of a power drill but only thirty minutes of continuous sound in a video arcade can cause permanent hearing loss. Even a baby�s rattle can be as high as 110 dB. Other effects of loud noise The effects of noise pollution can be seen on many of our systems than just hearing loss. Persistent loud sounds have been linked to headaches, stomachaches, tinnitus, irritability, loss of sleep, learning difficulties, even heart disease and high blood pressure. Examples of environment noise Even relatively low levels of noise (55 to 60 dB) can interfere with conversation. The danger zone for hearing loss begins at about 85 dB. To give you an idea of noise levels in most of our environments, here are some decibel guidelines:
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